Freedom A Noex Story
by Solora Goldsun
Summary: My first Noex story. A little alternative to the basketball court scene. Total fluff at the end with minor angst at the beginning. Enjoy!


**Here's something you probably don't know about me: I actually am a Noex shipper. I love Circex, as you can see from my previous story, but Noex was what really struck me as gold from the very first episode. You know, the fact that Noah was hired to be Rex's friend, and the fluff that could come off of it and such... I just didn't have enough in-show material to come up with anything. You see, I usually make my fanfics as replies to episodes until I get more of a feel for the characters. Once I get a real feel for them, then I start freelancing. Gwevin was an exception because I had been watching AF for a long time before I posted my first fic. Anyway, this new episode just gave me the extra push I needed to get out my first Noex story! This is an alternative to the basketball court scene. Enjoy! ^_^**

Noah mechanically dribbled the basketball for a few seconds before giving it a halfhearted throw. He didn't even look up as it inevitably bounced off of the rim. 'I'm such an idiot...' Despite the fact that Rex had said that they were cool, Noah still felt major lingering guilt. 'He had every right to hate me...' The ball bounced past him. He didn't turn to grab it. This just wasn't any fun.

"You, uh, shoot like me." Rex called over halfheartedly, putting his foot on the basketball to stop it from rolling away. 'Finally found him. Now what?' He picked up the ball and walked toward Noah.

Noah turned around and bowed his head sheepishly as Rex walked toward him. 'Aw man...talk about awkward!' "Hey..." He murmured, hesitantly meeting Rex's eyes. "So..."

"Yeah, look. This was _not_ a fun day!" Rex held the ball in the crook of his arm as he moved closer. "But...my problem's with White... Not you." Looking into those rejected gray eyes, Rex knew that it was the truth. He couldn't stay mad at Noah. He just couldn't. White had manipulated him somehow. He could tell. Looking back at how Noah had talked, it made perfect sense. There was money involved, no doubt. Maybe Noah had been desperate. Now that Rex thought of it, what was Noah doing out on the basketball court in the middle of the night? Did he even have a home? He'd never really asked Noah about his family... Did that have something to do with Noah's job as well? Was there a reason he wanted to help win the war against the Evos? These new questions swarmed around Rex's brain, but he was stopped from asking them when Noah asked a question of his own.

"That mean you're not going back?" Noah felt a sinking feeling in his stomach. 'What would I do after finding out I was being manipulated like that?' No doubt about it, he'd get the heck out of there if it were him. 'Is Rex coming to say goodbye?'

Rex glanced down at the ground. "I dunno. Maybe. Holiday said that in this kind of work, we have to do things we don't like." He may come back someday, just not for awhile. He'd leave for awhile, figure out some things on his own. 'When I come back, they won't be able to use me as a weapon. They'll treat me like a human being. I'll make sure of that. I'll be smarter when that time comes. I won't be used ever again!'

"Well, you'd better make up your mind." Noah glanced toward the sky in the far distance. The tiniest of white specks was visible. 'Yep. That's a Providence ship. It'll probably be here in ten minutes...' "Rex, I..." He paused, trying to gather his thoughts. "I don't want you to leave!" Rex was silent. "I-I know that you probably won't listen to me, but..." He closed his eyes and tried to calm down. He _wouldn't_ start getting emotional! That would be _way_ uncool! "But...you're the best friend I ever had, Rex. If you left...I-I don't know what I'd do..."

Rex's eyes widened slightly at Noah's words. 'He really cares that much?' He thought back to how much he had always depended on Noah ever since he had met him. 'Then again, am I any different?' "You're my best friend too, Noah." Rex put the basketball down and placed a hand on Noah's shoulder. "Don't worry. I'll see you around. Providence can wait." He was surprised to see Noah's shoulders shaking.

"How?" Noah's voice cracked and he felt himself starting to cry a bit despite himself. 'Calm down, stupid!' He couldn't. It was as if he had pulled the plug out of some high-pressure water tank. Words just kept spilling out without rhyme or reason. "Providence has unlimited resources! You won't be able to come back here without risking capture! You'd have to be on the run constantly! You know that it only takes a few days for them to find you!" Tears streamed down his cheeks. They probably had less than six minutes... The words just kept coming. "Listen, Rex! When I agreed to the job of keeping an eye on you, I was desperate for money. I was alone. I was bitter. Then I met you. You...gave me something to look forward to every day. You helped me remember what it was to have fun. You made my life exciting, in the good way. You taught me what it is to be a friend to someone else. I..." He was suddenly at a loss for words. It was as if someone had just put the plug back in the tank randomly and without warning.

"Noah..." Rex was completely and utterly stunned. He placed his other hand on Noah's other shoulder and gripped both shoulders firmly. He heard Noah try and fail to suppress a sob. "It's okay." He moved his hand off of Noah's shoulder and tilted the blonde's face up toward him. Gently, he wiped away the tears that streamed down his friend's cheeks. Noah took a deep breath and seemed to regain control of himself, though tears were still falling. "That's it." Rex whispered with uncharacteristic tenderness, continuing to softly caress the side of Noah's face. It was then that Rex noticed for the first time how close he and Noah were. "I...uh..." Rex felt his voice fail him as his eyes locked with his best friend's stormy eyes. There was a peculiar scent coming off of Noah's skin...a weird combination of vanilla, sweat, and the vegetation of the jungle they had recently escaped. He found himself leaning in. He couldn't stop himself! His mind was completely blank. He felt his lips just barely touch Noah's.

Noah felt himself losing control once more as Rex held his shoulders in a comforting grip. Then, as Rex tilted his face upward and began gently brushing his gloved hand against his cheek, Noah felt his despair fading. He could feel a strange, warm melting sensation in his chest as he gazed into those beautiful dark eyes. 'When did I start thinking they were beautiful?' He wondered vaguely. All thought stopped, however, when Rex's face moved steadily closer to his own. And when he felt those chapped lips on his... He sighed softly and moved his lips up to meet Rex's. They were hard and dry. Noah couldn't resist running his tongue across Rex's bottom lip. He tasted of salt and brown sugar. Rex's warm hands still hadn't moved from their spots on Noah's cheek and shoulder. It all felt so...perfect.

Rex shuddered with overwhelming delight as he felt Noah's soft lips and tongue gently moving against his lips. His eyes drifted shut and his lips parted in a quiet whimper as Noah's hands ran slowly up his chest. A rush of warmth erupted in his heart and spread throughout his body. He'd never kissed anyone before! Was this what it always felt like? He could hear the faint humming of the approaching Providence plane growing louder. Reluctantly, he ended the kiss and moved his head back. Noah's tarnished silver eyes were half closed and glazed over. The plane was coming closer... "Come with me, Noah!" Noah stared blankly at him. "Let's get out of here together! Neither of us have to be alone anymore!"

Noah felt numb with the lingering pleasure of Rex's kiss, so it took him a second to comprehend what Rex was saying. His eyes snapped open once he understood. "Wait...you seriously want me to come with you?"

"No. I just kissed you for the heck of it." Rex felt his passion-induced stupor wearing off and being replaced with his normal joking attitude. A grin spread across his face and he hugged Noah tightly. "Think of it as the world's longest road trip." He muttered into the blonde's ear.

Noah laughed softly and hugged Rex back. "Yeah. Let's get outta here!" He felt a small two-passenger plane materializing around them. "Whoa! I didn't know you had this in your arsenal!"

"Neither did I!" Rex pulled his goggles over his eyes and took off. He laughed at the Providence plane as it faded into the distance. "Hasta la vista, jerks!" He called back. The wind whipped through his hair and the moon cast its cool light on Noah's face as the two flew away to freedom. 'Freedom...' That word had never sounded so dang sweet!

**AW! Sweet right? Adorable right? Completely cute right? It's kinda late so my mind may be fuzzy. Therefore, I WON'T accept flames! U flame me, I'll burn you! LOL! ^_^ Plz review! I like reviews! Oh! One last question: For the Six/Holiday pairing, which name do you like more? Soliday or Holix? I'm kinda leaning toward Holix... Anyway, see yah!**


End file.
